Recently, Barbara Bush appeared on Dateline NBC in an interview with Jamie Gangel. The interview shed light on the life of one of the most amazing women who has ever lived. As the only person who can give orders to the President of the United States, the Bush family knows her as “The Enforcer.”
A truly special person, the former first lady was funny, intelligent, and articulate throughout the interview. NBC did a wonderful job of capturing the essence of a woman who will no doubt go down in history as a very important political figure.
As first lady, her focus was on improving the literacy of America and she strongly emphasized to the public the importance of this issue. Mrs. Bush has also been known for her work with the elderly, AIDS, homelessness, and school volunteer programs.
Throughout the interview Mrs. Bush stood up for her son by calling the Democratic presidential candidates a “pretty sorry group.” By the way, I strongly concur. President George H. W. Bush mentioned “they’re all together on this vicious rhetoric.” Again, I agree.
The Democratic candidates have been crossing the line between politics and mudslinging for a long time. There is an amount of respect that is rightfully deserved by the President of the United States.
Mrs. Bush showed her motherly side while discussing how difficult it has been to watch her sons get into politics. “I don’t like it. I mean but what mother would? You don’t like it when your child’s playing Little League and someone says he’s a lousy player. You can criticize me, but, well, you cannot criticize my children. And don’t criticize George Bush, Sr. either,” she said with her strong spirit.
After every few questions in the interview, an excerpt from Barbara Bush’s book was read, and I must say the book sounds quite interesting. Surely, with this First Lady’s humor one can expect a well written book with lots of comical stories thrown in there. Yet, at the same time, the book will certainly be informative as well as interesting.
In Reflections: Life After the White House, various diary entries describe Mrs. Bush’s life. From dealing with the loss of her husband’s election with Bill Clinton, to witnessing her son being sworn in as the leader of the free world, Mrs. Bush captures moments that were unforgettable to her and that will be unforgettable to the world as well.
Ernesto Zaldivar is a freshman majoring in political science. He can be contacted at e.zaldivar@umiami.edu.